


gender bender

by orphan_account



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: Gay, Gender Fluid Character, M/M, i worked on this for months please love me, queer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-12
Updated: 2015-08-12
Packaged: 2018-04-14 09:06:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4558833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>new schools and new genders don't always match well</p>
            </blockquote>





	gender bender

**Author's Note:**

> I originally posted this on my wattpad account (dan_is_the_night_)

They weren't a boy, like their mother insisted. At least, not at the current moment. Mikki was currently a girl in a white and black skirt. Sometimes, they were Mikki. Sometimes, not always. Usually, they were Mikey in ripped black skinny jeans. But, not always.

Mikki was with their glaring mother, standing awkwardly in the corner of the cafeteria of their new school. The open house was tonight, and the first day was tomorrow. Karen Clifford sighed and glanced around the room.

"You need to pick a club to join, Michael."

Mikki visibly flinched at their mother's words. "It's Mikki."

"We're not having this conversation now, Mikki." She dragged out the word, taunting them. She turned away from them, strutting to the nearest PTA member. She quickly chatted the man up, all smiles and flirtatious gestures.

They walked over slowly, staring at their feet, calculating each step. Their black computer boots clicked every time they touched the tile floor.

"This is my son, Michael." Karen gestured to Mikki. "I'm afraid he's going through a bit of a faze right now."

The man frowned slightly, but look vanished quickly from his face. "Maybe Michael would like to meet my son, Luke. He should be somewhere around here, with my wife."

The emphasis on the word was like a slap to Karen's face, but she recovered quickly.

"Yes, I'm sure he would." She all but whispered.

"Luke, where are you?" The man turned around, searching.

"What?" Came a shout across the cafeteria.

"Come here, Luke. And bring your mum!"

A few moments later, a tall blonde teenager (whom Mikki presumed to be Luke) was dragged over by his mother. She kissed the man on the cheek, before holding her hand out to shake. Karen took it, smiling bitterly.

"I'm Liz," she nodded to her husband. "And this is Andrew."

"Karen, and my son Michael." She squeezed Mikki's arm.

They coughed up a faint hello.

"How about your father and I stay to talk with Karen, why you and Michael go have fun." Mikki caught sight of a quick wink, resulting in a blush from Luke.

Luke smiled at them and grabbed their hand, leading them out of the room and into the hallway.

They stopped in an empty class room. Luke climbed into the desk in the front as Mikki sat in a random chair, staring at their hands.

"You don't like it when she calls you that, do you?"

Their head jerked up. "What?"

"You don't like it when she calls you Michael."

"What- why do you think that?"

"You flinched every single time."

~ | ~

The next time the met, Mikki was Michael and was a boy, clad in skinny jeans and a binder. Luke blinked and did a double take.

"Mikki-" He started.

"It's Michael. Right now, anyway." They clutched their lunch bag closer.

"Oh, um... how are you?"

"I'm fine," they laughed softly and pushed back a strand of maroon hair. "How are you?"

"I'm...okay I guess. Just not ready to get back into school, ya know?"

Throughout the conversation, their smile shrunk. They could see the Luke in his eyes, feel the backhanded support dripping off his tongue. He was one of them, one of those people obsessed with binaries.

And when it came to gender, it was far from either or.

"Well," Michael faked a smile. "I have to get class."

They walked out of the dining hall, felt Luke's gaze on their back, not looking at anyone.

Once they were clear, they ran. They ran out of school, only stopping to grab their bag.

Once outside, they jumped on their bike, furiously wiping away tears.

~ | ~

Three months passed before a confrontation with Luke was deemed unavoidable.

Michael was in the library, struggling to understand their math homework during lunch math.

Luke slid into the seat across from them, frowning slightly. He coughed, clearing his throat, before tapping his fingers on the table.

"So... We haven't really talked much this year." Luke said.

Michael shrugged, still concentrating on their work. "It's a big school... I've been busy."

"Yeah, I guess you could say that." He took a deep breath. "Did I fucking say something?"

"No-"

"I thought you were fucking trans or something!" He shouted to only be quickly shushed by the librarian. "I was so goddamn confused!" He angrily whispered.

"I'm not trans." Michael gripped their pencil.

"Then what the hell are you?"

"Genderfluid." They wrote down an answer.

"And that means...?" Luke said, his question hanging in the air.

"It's called the fucking internet." Michael slammed the textbook shut before hurrying out of the room.

~|~

Flash forward one year and Mikki is more than ready to get the hell out of this high school full of transphobic asshats and a certain Hemmings.

Luke tried to corner them at every chance, but Mikki always managed to avoid him. They hated it, hated running into the girls restroom to keep their head above water.

But now they were a senior and honestly they were so fucking done with not just school, but with their mom because "I didn't give birth to a girl".

And after every last tear and quivering lip, they still hold their head up high, flipping off every fuckboy who tried to give then shit.

And oh my god, maybe they hated him, but at least Luke Hemmings could pull off the "I act like a give a flying fuck and maybe I do" attitude.

~|~

"Hi, Luke." Michael whispered.

Luke nodded slightly, not really paying attention.

"So it's senior year now,"

Luke hummed in response and continued to write frantically in his notebook.

"And we haven't talked at all since that time in the library last year... So I just wanted to apologize."

"I looked that thing up." He finally said. "Genderfluid."

"Oh," they breathed. "And?"

"I guess I'm sorry about how I reacted. I was just... shocked, and then I could never talk to you after."

"Oh yeah," they blushed. "Sorry about that. I was... Mad at you, I guess?"

Luke chuckled, eyes flashing. "It's fine, Michael. I reacted the wrong away, we both did. I just hope we fix it before the year ended, ya know?"

He stood, gone from the room in a heartbeat.

~|~

And they did fix it, because senior prom that year had a genderfluid girl named Mikki and a blonde flower crown rocking boy eating all its pizza in the corner while laughing at girls tripping in high heels.

And maybe a certain Mrs Clifford woke up the next day to a cactus on her front porch and a note saying "fuck it".


End file.
